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Laredo ( ; ) is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,191 making it the tenth most populous city in the state of Texas and third most populated on the United States-Mexican border, after San Diego and El Paso.〔(U.S. Census Factfinder 2010 Population estimate for Laredo, Texas )〕 Its metropolitan area is the 178th-largest United States metropolitan area and covers all of Webb county, with a population of 250,304.〔 Laredo is part of the Laredo-Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan Area with an estimate population of 636,516.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=World Gazetteer: America – largest cities (per geographical entity) )〕 Laredo's economy is based on international trade with Mexico. Most major transportation companies have a facility in Laredo. The city's location on the southern end of I-35 close to the manufacturers in northern Mexico promotes its vital role in trade between the two nations. Laredo International Airport is within the Laredo city limits, while the Quetzalcoatl International Airport is nearby in Nuevo Laredo on the Mexican side. Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags (the Flag of the Republic of the Rio Grande in addition to the Six Flags of Texas). Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a villa to the capital of the brief Republic of the Rio Grande to the largest inland port on the United States-Mexican Border. Today, it has four international bridges and one railway bridge. Laredo has a professional soccer team, the Heat; baseball team, the Laredo Lemurs; and a women's full contact football team, the Laredo Roses. Texas A&M International University and Laredo Community College are located in Laredo. The biggest festival, Washington's Birthday Celebration is held all month long during February, attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists. The Jalapeño Festival, Border Beer Fest, Stockmen's Ball, Princess Pocahontas Pageant, Mr. South Texas Luncheon, an air show, and two major parades are all held in conjunction with the Washington's birthday events. ==History== Villa de San Agustin de Laredo was founded in 1755 by Don Tomás Sánchez while the area was part of the Nuevo Santander region in the Spanish colony of New Spain. Villa de San Agustin de Laredo got its name from Laredo, Cantabria, Spain and in honor of Saint Augustine of Hippo. In 1840, Laredo was the capital of the independent Republic of the Rio Grande, set up in opposition to Antonio López de Santa Anna and brought back into Mexico by military force. In 1846, during the Mexican-American War the town was occupied by the Texas Rangers. After the war, the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo ceded the land to the United States. A referendum was taken in the town, which voted to petition the American military government in charge of the area to return the town to Mexico. This petition was rejected, and the bulk of the population moved over the river into Mexican territory to found Nuevo Laredo. In 1849, the military set up ''Fort McIntosh'' (originally ''Camp Crawford''). Laredo was rechartered as a city in 1852. Laredo is one of the oldest crossing points along the U.S.-Mexico border, and the nation's largest inland port of entry. In 2005, Laredo celebrated the 250th anniversary of its founding. The origin of name of the original Spanish town of Laredo is unclear. Some scholars say the name stems from ''Glaretum'' which means "sandy, rocky place". Others state that Laredo stems from a Basque word meaning "beautiful pastures".〔(Laredo Origin )〕〔(Laredo Origin )〕 Laredo might also stem from the latin ''Larida'' which means gull. In 1954, Laredo faced a devastating Rio Grande flood, when the water reached 61.35 feet, more than 10 feet higher than in the previous 1932 flood, which had also caused great damage. According to Laredo historian Jerry D. Thompson of Texas A&M International University, the 1954 flood was "the largest in ninety-one years and the second largest according to archeological records in the last three hundred years."〔 Many were left homeless for a time because of the calamity. Former Webb County administrative Judge Mercurio Martinez, Jr., recalls that his father surveyed the depth of the water and advised residents to evacuate. Several downtown businesses had to remove their merchandise inventory or risk losing it to the rising waters. The flood caused the relocation of the Holding Institute. The international bridge was destroyed when it was struck by the floating railroad bridge, which had been hit by the debris of another bridge in Eagle Pass up the river. Photos of the flood by Teofilo Esquivel, Sr., are on the wall of a Danny's Restaurant on McPherson Avenue in Laredo.〔Gabriela A. Trevino, "Flood of 1954: Devastating natural disaster caused serious damage," ''Laredo Morning Times'', June 28, 2015, pp. 1, 18A〕 In 2013, Laredo ranked tenth in Texas in the rate of violent crime, with 430.9 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants. Highest in ranking was Odessa, with 806.4 violent crimes per unit. The second most "dangerous city" was also in West Texas, Lubbock, with 658 crimes per 100,000 persons. The other Mexican border cities of El Paso, McAllen, and Brownsville ranked 13th, 18th, and 24th, respectively. The highest murder rate was in Beaumont-Port Arthur, with a rating of 8.6, compared to Laredo's 1.5.〔"Most Dangerous Cities in Texas", ''Laredo Morning Times'', January 25, 2015, p. 6A〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Laredo, Texas」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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